St Luke’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Pupils achieve well and make good progress as they move through the school. From low starting points, they reach the national average by the end of Year 6.

Teaching is usually good and there are some outstanding features. Lessons are exciting and well planned. Children in the Early Years make excellent use of the exciting indoor and outdoor areas.

Reading is taught well from the outset. Pupils in Year 1 are now reaching levels in the national phonics screening check that are in line with the national average, and Key Stage 2 pupils make rapid progress owing to skilful teaching. Additional support is highly effective and helps individuals... or groups of pupils who are struggling to make good progress.

Pupils feel safe, behave well and work hard in lessons. They are polite, friendly and proud of their school. Leaders strongly promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

As a result, pupils have a high level of respect, tolerance and appreciation for each other and those from other cultures and faiths. All staff are fully committed to making sure that every pupil has an equal chance to succeed and to helping those who are facing challenging circumstances. Actions taken by leaders, including governors, have led to improvements in teaching, achievement and attendance since the previous inspection.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Achievement in Key Stage 1 is not as strong as in Key Stage 2 and too few pupils in this stage reach the higher levels. Sometimes teachers do not check pupils' understanding during lessons and then adjust tasks to make sure work set is at the right level. Questions asked are also occasionally too easy for pupils and brief answers are too readily accepted.

Because checks on pupils' progress are not consistently thorough in Key Stage 1, support is not always provided to those who need it most in this key stage. The school improvement plan contains too many priorities and lacks measurable short-term targets, and so leaders and governors cannot make best use of it.

Information about this school

This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.

The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of a large Nursery and two Reception classes. Most pupils come from a wide range of different ethnic minority backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are therefore eligible for the pupil premium is also well above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to help pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority. The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average.

The proportion supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs is below average. Before- and after-school care is provided by the school. The school meets the government's floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.